Say Something
by Ballycastle-Bat
Summary: Ray Palmer doesn't want a soulmate but he wants to fall in love again. Or Three times Ray didn't say anything, and one time where he didn't have to.


[Warnings: This is a Barry Allen/Ray Palmer fast paced slow burn (takes place over weeks, or months) romance fic with mentions/themes of past Ray/Kendra.it is very vaugely canon complaint but mostly just meant to be fun and fluffy AU. Written in a 3 1 things format. Very brief refences to Jewish Ray, but isn't a major theme. There are also some sexuality issues, but not super angsty ones. Just sort of brief gay fearTM.

/

Notes: I claimed a Super prompt for another Rarepair event but didn't finish it. Though I thought I could still gift my Flarrowverse Shipyard sever's Rarepair Week fic to the wonderful Thette because they're awesome!!

Prompt: "Free day" and "Sunshine boys being sunshiney"]

/

Ray Palmer was certain that he disliked the idea of soulmates in his adult life. He once found the idea romantic, however once he met Kendra that fantasy quickly dropped from his desires. Logically: he knew that she and Carter were soulmates because of a curse, but soulmates still put a sour taste in his mouth.

When Ray was a boy he had dreamed of a soulmate, even if it wasn't in the romantic sense. He would dream of someone who could fight beside him in his backwood crusades, and always sing along with him, whether it be to musicals or just the radio. Someone who understood him on a level that no one ever seemed to. He had certainly found that soulmate (mostly) in his best friend Nate.

He still hadn't exactly become bitter to love. He had more than enough love to give. For his team his family. He just felt his life was so full that he didn't need anything else, and he didn't want a 'soulmate'. Even if the concept itself wasn't cursed. He closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his fingers into them. It was four am. Even if time passed strangely in the time stream he knew it was late and that he was exhausted and his lab was silent.

It did make him lonely sometimes. He remembered when he used to have interruptions. While he knew Nate had things to sort out, and he respected that. Even so, he missed when his friends would pop in. The ship had been lonely since Kendra left, and then Nate. Mick had sometimes hung around, but really hadn't been lately. Not since Micks books took off as much as they did.

There was a knock on the side of the lab door. It pulled him from his thoughts rather abruptly. "Uh, Dr. Palmer?" the voice was familiar, it belonged to Barry Allen.

There were several things in this scenario that confused Ray. The first being, what Barry Allen was doing on the Waverider. He had never been on the Waverider. At least, as far has he knew. Second was the excessive formality. "Just Ray is fine, what can I do for you, Barry?" he was unable to hide the blatant surprise from his face.

Barry crossed the room, slowly glancing at the different tools and trinkets around the room, he found himself starting a perpetual motion device. "I wanted to talk to you about your suit, but I know the last time we met was kind of a mess." He wasn't exactly sure if Ray would be up for chatting.

Ray closed the binder he was reading from and set it aside. It took him a moment to remember what Barry was referring to. It clicked suddenly. "Oh! Yes, we'll, Felicity explained all that later you don't need to worry. Totally understandable and it's all water under the bridge."

Barry nodded. "Alright, well, I was wondering if you could help me get my hands on one of your power cells?" the question surprised Ray, of course anything Barry asked him specifically would have surprised him.

He stared at him for a second. "My power cells? The ones I use on my suit?"

"Yeah, you were sort of presumed dead before you officially released them." he reminded Ray. "and I'm not sure where I could get my hands on one. I don't know what you were planning on selling them for."

Ray looked at him once again with raised eyebrows. "Barry, I live on a timeship. Money is useless to me."

"How am I supposed to repay you?" When Cisco built his suits, that was S.T.A.R. Labs money. It wasn't really a private thing like Barry felt it was with Ray's tech.

"Barry, we're Superheroes." Ray's tone was slowed, explaining as if this was common knowledge. Which it was of course, but Ray was very hard pressed on Barry getting the message.

Barry felt like the conversation was going nowhere. Usually the heroes all helped each other out, but this felt different to Barry. He didn't usually go out of his way to ask inventors for their inventions. "Okay, well, I could really use one for my Gideon prototype."

"According to you, I was very annoying when I was young." Gideon's voice came over the intercom.

"Only when you were young?" Barry's tone was snarky, but far from honest.

"Your sense of humour doesn't get any better, Mr. Allen." Gideon's face vanished from the room with the last quip.

Barry stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Okay, well. Let me know when you can get me the power cell. I guess just let me know if I can help you with anything?"

Ray nodded. "Will do."

/

**One**

. Ray didn't need Barry's help until quite a long time after he'd given him the power cell. He had decided to begin a project that required a speedster's help. He was a bit embarrassed to admit it to Barry on their call, but he had made Giddeon a bit upset with him. She was refusing to generate a new Centrifuge machine for him and Wally was unavailable. He had felt a bit silly for asking but didn't have any other options.

Barry ducked into the lab. "Sup?" he patted out beat on the back of the computer chair he came in contact with. "You called?"

Ray was surprised at how quickly Barry arrived. He was sure he'd called mere days ago. "My centrifuge is broken and Felicity once said that the same thing happened to you?"

"Oh, yeah! What do you need separated?" the task was simple enough.

"Just a few things," Ray went over to a unit and removed a rack of test tubes from it. "Just these. They're for a secret project."

Barry chuckled. "Hmm, a secret you say?" his tone was playful. "Well, apparently where Charlie is from they have these glowing plants, and I'm trying to see if I can isolate the properties and grow some for them, make them feel more at home."

Barry thought the gesture was sweet and eagerly agreed to help him. As they worked, which didn't take long they never ran out of things to talk about. It became clear that Ray was one of the few people he'd met to understand he and Iris's friendship, as he had it with Nate.

/

**Two**

. It was four am, way past Ray's self imposed bedtime. However, he was just so wrapped up in Barry Allen. They had migrated to the kitchen to cook some late night snacks. So naturally every available surface was covered plates of pancakes. Barry had made extra to curb his speedster appetite.

Barry rambled on about something, but Ray had found himself utterly engrossed in the way his eyes lit up. "and I'm saying Protag's theory on speed is the most accurate even though it's so new."

Ray blinked for a second. "Hey, Barry, what's it like when you run?" he asked a bit suddenly.

Barry stopped and thought about it. "It's like no other feeling in the world. The Speed Force flows through me and it's like anything's possible."

Ray nodded. That sounded like how he felt around Barry. He'd come to visit several times since they worked in the lab together. He missed him when he wasn't there, and he wasn't stupid. He could tell he was falling in love with Barry. How could he not? Barry Allen was something special.

The pair were in the middle of belting out a line from the song that played around them when Captain Sara Lance appeared. She looked tired but moved past the singing, getting coffee. She needed it after last nights events with John in the library. He had a spell backfire and Gideon had to do a lot of clean up.

"Ray, next time you have your boyfriend over, please tell me." Sara pointed out.

Ray was a bit embarrassed, but didn't really want to respond to the boyfriend comment. He knew she was just teasing, but it was awkward.

Barry laughed and gave Sara a mock salute. "Yes, Captain, I'll be sure to RSVP before I come aboard next time." he just ignored the 'boyfriend' comment. He grew up with a 'sister' for all intents and purposes, he wasn't a stranger to that kind of quip.

When Barry and Ray finished up they cleaned up the kitchen before returning to the lab. "So," Barry started, looking over the gauntlet Ray was repairing.This is what Barry's visits had dissolved into. Barry Allen dropping by the Waverider to see what Ray was working on. Then they would never stop talking about it like they were now.

Ray loved the company, and he even more enjoyed getting to know Barry. They traded adventure stories and high school horrors. It felt so natural, even at four in the morning while they worked on their own projects. He couldn't muster up the want for Barry to leave.

Barry left that day, around noon. easily returned to the time he left from. Ray found himself wishing he'd said something. Anything really. It was different with guys though, Ray had to admit. He'd never heard of Barry having an interest in men. He'd heard the Iris story, of course. Though it'd never been expressed if he was interested exclusively in women or not. Ray couldn't really remember a time where he himself distinguished his attraction. He just liked people. All he knew was that Barry really liked being around him, and that was plenty for him for now. He could always figure out the details later.

/

**Three**

. The next time he saw Barry was rather sudden. Barry had gotten tickets to a show Central City's theatre was putting on. "You're the first person I thought to invite!" he had told Ray excitedly as they communicated via Gideon's comms. "They're doing Singing in the Rain! I haven't seen it live since I was seven. Do you think you can make it away from the Waverider between the fifteenth and twentieth?"

Ray had of course jumped at the opportunity. Seeing his favourite musical, and one of his first special interests live with probably the only other person he knew loved it as much as him? That was a dream come true. Nate liked musicals well enough, but he didn't quite get Ray's excitement. If nothing else, Ray had gained a musical buddy.

Ray arrived to Central City a bit early. Too early, he had decided to collect Barry directly from work at five in the evening. He made his way up the stairs to the crime lab. CCPD really needed better security on the upper levels. "So, I know I'm a bit early, but I wanted to grab dinner. I haven't eaten food that wasn't at least partially artificially generated in a long time. Would you like to join me? Truthfully I've never spent very much time in Central City."

Barry nodded. "Oh yeah, sure. Hmm. Do you keep Kosher?" Barry asked as he threw his messenger bag over his shoulder and shut down the computer that wasn't running an analysis. He tried to remember if Ray ever mentioned that. He had eaten with him once, but he was a bit too stressed to remember anything.

"I do not, thanks for asking though." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Oh, but I am gluten intolerant."

Barry nodded and thought for a moment. He'd lived in Central City his whole life, he knew. "Pizza sound good? Sal's Pizza uses gluten free dough if you ask. "

"Pizza sounds perfect."

When they arrived at the pizza place it was a bit busy. However Ray easily made his way to the front with Barry. He started to look at the menu which hung behind the counter. "Wow, they have a lot of gluten free options."

Barry found himself chuckling softly. "Central city has over one million people-- that's almost double Starling. We have everything." he ended up ordering a large pizza, mozzarella sticks, and garlic bread. Ray got a small gluten free pizza and garlic bread. Barry was relieved that no one commented on his diet. People were always surprised by how much he could eat. It had been amusing at first, however as the years went on it got annoying when it was anyone besides Team Flash.

"We have an hour until curtin," Barry checked his watch, they were cutting it a bit close. "This theatre has concessions and stuff though." it was a casual conversation, of course.

"Alright. Do you like Central CIty?" Ray asked as he pulled out his wallet to pay for their pizzas. It appeared to have dust on one of the inner panels. On the back on one of the corners was a small logo in the corner of one side with a pink, yellow and blue horizontal striped flag on it.

Barry laughed softly and answered low. "I'm the Flash, Ray. Why would I protect a city I didn't love?" part of him knew that Ray was just making conversation but he wasn't quite sure.

Ray found himself enjoying the pizza and garlic bread. It was good. A lot of Gluten free options he'd tried had a bit of an aftertaste. They talked quite a bit as they ate. Both rather excited about the musical. As soon as they were finished with their food they went to the theatre.

The musical was wonderful. From the cast down to the unique renditions of the classic. Barry and Ray had a blast. They both were glad to have seen it with someone who loves it as much as they do. As they walked to the bus, a few peoplestared at Ray

Barry steered them down an alleyway, a shortcut he had taken a million times. Ray was playing with his hands as they walked. They spoke animatedly about the performances and the show.

The event, of course, ended up with Barry back on the Waverider, Ray had accidentally mentioned a new project when Barry while they were saying goodbyes and making new plans.

So there they were, sat up in Ray's lab at some ungodly hour once again. Working on upgrades for Ray's suit. At half eleven, Barry closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had decided to head out and get some sleep. However he didn't go quietly. Once he was off the ship Sara gave Ray a light smack on the back of his head. "Why didn't you say anything to him? This is like the fourth time you've just let him walk out. Normally, I wouldn't meddle but it's awfully out of character of you. Normally you'd be telling me that Barry could be your soulmate or something."

"I'm not always like that."

"Yeah, but you're kind of in love with him." Sara countered. "We've all noticed it."

Ray gestured to Mick who was sat up at his typewriter. "Mick doesn't notice-- because there's nothing."

Mick grunted with a very lazy shrug. "Noticed. Didn't care." he didn't even look up from his project.

Ray crossed his arms. "Okay, fine. I didn't say anything. I don't want a soulmate. I just want … whatever comes my way and sometimes it's nice to hang out with people outside the waverider."

/

**One**

. When Barry returned again, it was rather unannounced. Or at least, it mostly was. He did remember to check with Sara first this time. She found herself 'accidently' neglecting to inform Ray that Barry was coming.

When Barry arrived in Ray's lab he had a bottle of beer in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He knew Ray wasn't much of a drinker. "Hey you," he greeted Ray casually and put the coffee on Ray's desk beside him. "I can smell you hair burning from here, what are you working on?"

Ray smiled up at him, and Barry couldn't help but smile back. "It's just some calculations for my suit. Trying to see if I can make it go a little faster."

Barry nodded and glanced at the papers over his shoulders. It was sort of an unspoken thing that Barry often just joined in on Ray's projects. It felt almost unnatural not to at this point. They stood against the table, arms touching. Barry found himself wondering when they got so comfortable around each other. Especially considering Ray was sometimes touch-avoidant. He never objected to Barry moving in close. "If you go over that speed your visibility in the suit will be nonexistent."

Ray marked some things down. "It's great to have a speedy scholar around." he laughed softly.

"Oh, that's what I'm good for?" Barry teased, nudging Ray. "Here I thought that you were keeping me around for my good looks."

Ray laughed with him. "No, I love having you around.-- Not that your looks aren't nice too!" he had begun to trip over his words. "Because you certainly do have good looks! Really good."

Barry let out a soft chuckle as Ray stumbled. "Ray," a gentle squeeze to his shoulder got his attention. "How about we go to another musical? Central City Theatre is doing Oklahoma next month."

"I love Oklahoma!" Ray nearly jumped out of his skin. "I've never seen in live though."

"I've seen it once, but it was a high school production." Barry recalled the memory fondly. "and well, I didn't just see it, I was in it. Curly."

Ray grinned. "Wow, really? That's awesome!" he thought for a moment. "Well, we are on a timeship. We could see Central City do Oklahoma tomorrow if we're careful." he tried to put the idea out casually. He didn't make a habit of abusing the jump ship for fun, but

He ran a hand up to cup Ray's head and gently pull him in for a kiss. "That sounds perfect."

Ray had smiled against Barry's lips and moved in for another when he was done talking. It was easy to be happy around Barry. Even beyond his positive attitude, and Barry undoubtedly felt the same way.

Ray still wasn't sure if he and Barry were soulmates but he was perfectly happy with him, and that's what he cared about. He was already looking forward to their next adventure.


End file.
